Selective targeting of therapy with antibody-radioisotope combinations have led to major advances in treating advanced cancers. Lutetium-177-prostate-specific membrane antigen (Lu-177-PSMA) is a targeted therapy recently approved for treatment of metastasized prostate cancer (MPC).

Adding Lu-177-PSMA to standard care significantly improves survival of MPC patients.  Despite the success of this -treatment, around 30% of patients do not benefit, but do suffer from the side-effects. Better assessment and prediction of treatment response could hence significantly improve treatment. Next to that, manufacturing-related hurdles pose serious challenges to the availability of radioisotope-based therapies. Improved manufacturing could result in better treatment availability.

The IHI-funded ILLUMINATE project aims to improve theranostic options by providing solutions from the “treatment” as well as the “diagnostics” side. A diverse group of stakeholders (including medtech and pharmaceutical companies, a medical isotope manufacturer, universities, hospitals, SMEs, and patient representatives) are collaborating to achieve that collective goal. Imaging capabilities will be improved by implementing novel metabolic imaging methodologies (metabolic MRI). A second action line covers improving the general availability of Lu-177 via optimisation of its manufacturing process. A third and fourth action line address involvement of patients, the public, and healthcare professionals, and regulators to facilitate adoption of the developed solutions. The core of the project is a study in which metabolic imaging will be applied to assess treatment responses to Lu-177-PSMA treatment.

In this session, we will take a deep dive into the structure of the ILLUMINATE project. We will explore the collaborative power of this partnership to transform the approach to theranostics-based cancer treatment and to increase overall availability of Lu-177.